Apple unveiled its next-generation MacBook Pro at the Worldwide Developers Conference today in San Francisco.
The revamped Pro measures just 0.71 inches thick (as thin as the MacBook Air), and weighs in under 4 and half pounds. It also boasts a 15.4-inch Retina display. According to Cupertino chief Phil Schiller, the screen offers the world’s highest resolution display at 5 million pixels – 3 million more than an HD television.
It also features a 178-degree wide viewing angle, with 75 percent less reflection and 29 percent higher contrast.
As expected, the new MacBook Pro retina display prompted Apple to update a number of OS X apps, including Mail, Safari, iMovie and iPhoto.
Professional apps, including Aperture and Final Cut Pro, have also been tweaked, along with games like Diablo III and a new version of AutoCAD.
Key specs include quad-core Core i5 and Core i7 processors, up to 16 gigabytes of RAM, an Nvidia GeForce GT 650M notebook GPU, flash storage up to 768GB, high-speed USB 3.0 ports, Thunderbolt, HDMI, 7 hours of battery life and 30 days of standby.
Additional specs: FaceTime HD 720p camera, dual microphones, stereo speakers, backlit keyboard, Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity and 802.11n Wi-Fi.
The 15-inch MacBook Pro is available with a 2.3 GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.3 GHz, 8GB of memory and 256GB of flash storage starting at $2,199; and with a 2.6 GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.6 GHz, 8GB of memory and 512GB of flash storage starting at $2,799 (US). Configure-to-order options include faster quad-core processors up to 2.7 GHz, up to 16GB of memory and flash storage up to 768GB.
In addition to the next-gen MacBook Pro, Apple also updated its current MacBook Pro lineup with Ivy Bridge processors and discrete Nvidia GeForce GT 650M graphics (15-inch model) – although the form factor of the legacy model (optical disc drive) remains unaltered.
The 13-inch MacBook Pro is available with a 2.5 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor, 4GB of memory and 500GB hard drive starting at $1,199 (US), and with a 2.9 GHz dual-core Intel Core i7 processor, 8GB of memory and 750GB hard drive starting at $1,499 (US).
The 15-inch MacBook Pro is available with a 2.3 GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor, 4GB of memory, Intel HD Graphics 4000 and NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M, and 500GB hard drive starting at $1,799; and with a 2.6 GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor, 8GB of memory, Intel HD Graphics 4000 and Nvidia GeForce GT 650M, and 750GB hard drive starting at $2,199. Configure-to-order options include faster quad-core processors up to 2.7 GHz, additional hard drive capacity up to 1TB, up to 8GB of memory and solid state storage up to 512GB.
